By John Salak –
It is no secret that regular activity is a gateway to better health. It is essential for cardiovascular health, muscle development, weight management and stress relief. WellWell recently reported it can even expand life expectancy. And here’s more good news—even minimal activity lowers dementia risk, proving that every little bit of movement counts when it comes to long-term brain health.
Now, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reports that just a few minutes of movement each day could help prevent dementia, even for frail older adults.
The researchers found that as little as 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, compared to zero minutes per week, was linked to a 41 percent lower risk of developing dementia during an average four-year follow-up period.
Even frail older adults who were at elevated risk of adverse health outcomes experienced a lower risk of dementia after moving more.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the more someone moved, the lower the risk of dementia was recorded. The risks were specifically 60 percent lower for those who did 35 to 69.9 minutes of physical activity weekly. It was 63 percent lower for those moving 70 to 139.9 minutes a week category and 69 percent lower in the 140 and over minutes a week.
The report’s conclusions were drawn after analyzing a dataset covering nearly 90,000 adults living in the U.K. who wore smart-watch-type activity trackers.
“Our findings suggest that increasing physical activity, even as little as five minutes per day, can reduce dementia risk in older adults,” study lead author Amal Wanigatunga, an assistant professor at John Hopkins. “This adds to a growing body of evidence that some exercise is better than nothing, especially with regard to an aging-related disorder that affects the brain that currently has no cure.”
Dementia is a growing concern in the U.S. and worldwide. Common among older adults, about seven million people in the U.S. are now believed to suffer from the condition. About one-third of those impacted are 85 years or older. These numbers are expected to rise significantly in the coming decades.
The condition has no cure but there are indications that it can be held off or prevented by positive lifestyle changes that include control of cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.
Being active also helps. It is unclear what is the least amount of activity needed to help keep the condition at bay. But the John Hopkins research indicated that as little as 5 minutes a day can make a difference.
“This suggests that even frail or nearly frail older adults might be able to reduce their dementia risk through low-dose exercise,” Wanigatunga suggests.
